Agricultural News
Oklahoma Records Warmest August and September Shows Lack of Precipitation
Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:40:18 CDT
The northeastern quarter of the state led the way during August with a whopping 4-6 inches of drought-relieving rainfall. According to Gary McManus, Associate State Climatologist, much of the state saw at least 1-2 inches but high temperatures and sunny skies made short work of that bit of moisture. As for the southwest and parts of south central Oklahoma, they were left mostly high and dry once again.
The Oklahoma Mesonet site at Tipton saw a miserable one-hundredth of an inch of moisture during the month. Extreme heat remained throughout the month, helping it finish as the warmest August in the state since records began in 1895 at over 7 degrees above normal. The result is a U.S. Drought Monitor map that maintains exceptional drought in the western two-thirds of the state and along the Red River to the Arkansas border. Northeastern Oklahoma was reduced back down into severe and moderate drought territory thanks to their hefty rainfall totals.
The 6-10 and 8-14 day outlooks from the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) indicate the chance for near-normal and even below-normal temperatures over the state. Those outlooks cover the September 6-14 time period. Unfortunately the precipitation outlooks for the same period indicate an increased chance of below normal precipitation over much of the state, although there is a slightly increased chance of above normal precipitation in the far western Panhandle early in the period.
The outlooks for September from the CPC contain a bit of hope with the absence of any widespread dry signal. There is a slight increase for the chance of below normal precipitation in the far southwest according to the CPC while the rest of the state lacks any confident prediction. It is certainly not a wet signal, but it is an improvement over past outlooks. The temperature outlook is similar with an increased chance of above normal temperatures in southwestern Oklahoma.
The latest Seasonal Drought Outlook (see below) from the CPC paints a mixed picture for Oklahoma. Persistence or intensification of the drought is indicated over the southern third of the state and up into west central areas. For north and east central Oklahoma, "some improvement" is indicated. That does not equate to drought elimination, unfortunately.
Drought is expected to remain at some intensity in those areas through November, but perhaps some reduction of drought impacts can be expected. With the diminishing sunlight through fall and cooler temperatures, any moisture that does fall should have an easier time of sticking around in reservoirs and the soil.
Our thanks to Gary McManus Associate State Climatologist, for this 30-day outlook at Oklahoma weather, which was sent out in the Government & Agri-Business newsletter for theOklahoma Grain and Feed Association.
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